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This wasn’t the first time that Wooyoung had found himself in a police station. The first time had been when he had been living on the streets and got caught by the police. They had promptly taken him in, and then upon discovering his age and the fact that he was a runaway, he had been taken to the home for runway and troubled teens. He had been insanely lucky being placed in Hongjoong’s family’s home. He had found himself a family that actually cared about him and his future. They had all worked hard, especially Hongjoong, to get Wooyoung’s life back on track. In addition to finding his future pack alpha and omega, he had found five other pack mates. They had all worked so well together that they ended up moving into one of Seonghwa’s family pack apartments that was empty and lived together. They got exploratory pack status, meaning that Hongjoong and Seonghwa got legal guardianship rights over the others, who were all still in high school.
This wasn’t even the second time that Wooyoung had found himself in a police station. To say that Wooyoung had settled into his new circumstances without fighting them would be a lie. He just wasn’t used to actually having rules and consequences. Of course, he had to learn this lesson the hard and painful way. It was not long after moving in that he had met a questionable friend group and had gone with them on a graffiti-mission that had ended up with him being taken in, let off with a warning since they hadn’t actually tagged anything yet, and landed him a very sore backside and intense grounding—damn legal guardianship that meant Seonghwa and Hongjoong had every right to do that.
All of this was to say he was well aware that he was in very hot water, and his hyungs weren’t going to be pleased with him. The only thing that made him feel a bit better was that he wasn’t alone in this. He was with three of his close friends, all of whom he knew were facing similar consequences.
When the police officer informed him that it was finally his turn to call a parent or a guardian his stomach felt like it was full of raging hornets. He was quite impressed he was able to pick up the phone and dial the number with how much his hands were shaking. He took a deep breath and put on a fake smile, trying to trick himself into believing this wouldn’t be as bad as he predicted.
“Hello? This is Park Seonghwa.” His eldest hyung, and the official pack omega answered the phone.
“Hey! Seonghwa hyung! So…funny story…” Wooyoung pretended to be jovial, praying against all odds that he could bullshit his way out of the situation.
“I’m going to stop you right there, Jung Wooyoung. You are calling me from a police station. Am I really going to find this story funny?” Seonghwa asked, his tone so stern it sent a shiver down Wooyoung’s back.
“No–no, hyung.”
“What did you do this time?” Seonghwa asked with a sigh.
“I–well we broke into the school,” Wooyoung admitted.
“And you thought this was a lighthearted situation? Just you wait until we get our hands on you. You are about to get a spanking you will never forget, Jung Wooyoung.”
Wooyoung had to fight the urge to hang up the phone.
“But, hyung!” Wooyoung tried to protest, tried to explain himself, tried to…well tried to do anything that would save himself.
“Are you or are you not currently at a police station?”
“Er–yes. I am.”
“I rest my case.”
“That-but…”
“HONGJOONG!” Seonghwa yelled, moving his face away from the phone, but he had yelled so loud that Wooyoung could hear him plain as day.
“No! Hyung! No! Why do you have to tell Hongjoong hyung?! Can’t we leave this off his radar?”
“Not on your life, kid.”
“But!”
“Wooyoung-ah, what’s going on?” Hongjoong’s voice came through the speaker, making Wooyoung’s stomach drop.
“H-Hi, Hoongjoong hyung.” Wooyoung answered in defeat.
“Are you at a police station right now? If so, which one,” Hongjoong asked, his tone even and honestly more frightening for it.
“Er–yes, I need you to come pick me up at the police station in Sinsa-dong,” Wooyoung admitted.
“We will be right there. I suggest you enjoy sitting while you can. It’s not looking good for you in the near future,” Hongjoong warned, getting a sigh of defeat from Wooyoung.
“Yes, hyung. I understand. I will see you soon,” Wooyoung said before hanging up.
His shoulders slumped as he looked around at all his friends who had matching looks of sympathy and defeat. They all had to inform their own parents and/or guardians, and it sounded like everyone’s conversations had gone about the same way.
The police officer escorted the four troublemakers back to their cell, leaving them to slump across the benches in different spots of the cell.
“So that sounded like Hongjoong hyung was pretty pissed,” Yeonjun commented, eliciting a groan from Wooyoung.
“That’s an understatement,” Wooyoung replied with a sigh. “He finished that phone call by informing me that I should enjoy sitting while I can, because it’s not looking too good for me in the near future.”
“My mom alluded to basically the same thing,” Yeonjun added with a groan. “I already know it’s going to be that wicked slipper that she prefers to use. I don’t know how something so innocuous can bring down such fury onto my backside.”
“I will be lucky if I can talk my way out of the belt,” Changbin complained–Wooyoung winced in sympathy.
The three of them all turned to look at their newest friend who hadn’t spoken up yet.
“I don’t know what Seungcheol hyung will use, but I can guarantee it’s not going to be pretty,” Chan answered their unspoken question. “He was pissed. I tried to call Jeonghan hyung to avoid that very awful phone call, but for some reason Seungcheol hyung answered instead.”
“Well I called Seonghwa hyung, and he ended up getting Hongjoong hyung despite my pleading,” Wooyoung explained. “I knew he would, but I had to try.”
“You know, I was under the false assumption that living with hyungs instead of your family pack would mean you wouldn’t get punished,” Changbin admitted, getting a laugh from both Chan and Wooyoung.
“My hyungs are far more strict than my family pack ever was,” Wooyoung replied, getting a nod of agreement from Chan.
“I thought everyone was exaggerating when they explained the rules and consequences,” Chan admitted. “Learned the hard way that it wasn’t the case.”
They talked a little bit more before finally falling into silence, each of them dreading what they knew was going to come. It felt like hours later that the police officer returned:
“Okay boys, your parents and guardians are here for you,” the officer said, sliding the cell door open and making it clank loudly, startling the boys who had been lost in their thoughts.
“Choi Yeonjun, it’s not even a month into the school year and you are already getting in this much trouble!” a woman scolded–Wooyoung assumed it was his mother based on the resemblance. “If I have to spank you nightly for the next month to ensure that you behave, don’t think I won’t.”
“Eomma!” Yeonjun whined as his mother came and lifted him from the bench by her grip on his ear.
“Nothing to be embarrassed about boy, Changbin will be right there with you,” a shorter man said–presumably Changbin’s father. He stomped over to Changbin and grabbed on to his arm.
Before Wooyoung could even blink, both Yeonjun and Changbin had been dragged out of the cell. Wooyoung chanced a glance at the cell door, cringing when he spotted his hyungs standing next to who he could only assume were Chan’s hyungs. The moment Wooyoung made eye contact with Hongjoong, the man stormed into the cell, pulled Wooyoung up by his arm, and then slammed his hand into Wooyoung’s backside three times.
“Hongjoong hyung!” Wooyoung whined, feeling heat make its way to his cheeks.
“You are in a world of trouble Jung Wooyoung, and that was just the start,” Hongjoong scolded as he quickly dragged Wooyoung out of the cell.
Wooyoung didn’t even get a chance to give Chan a commiserating glance as he was all but dragged to the desk with the waiting officer, who promptly handed Wooyoung’s belongings to Seonghwa.
“Let’s go Jung Wooyoung,” Hongjoong ordered–as if he were giving Wooyoung any choice in the matter. He proceeded to drag Wooyoung out of the station and towards their car.
Hongjoong pointed sharply at the car, gesturing for Wooyoung to get in. Wooyoung hurried to comply, but wasn’t fast enough to avoid Seonghwa’s slap to his rear end.
“It was nice meeting you, despite the circumstances,” Wooyoung heard one of Chan’s hyungs say to his own hyungs as he shut the car door behind him.
Wooyoung wanted to slam his head against the seat in front of him, further embarrassed by the fact that everyone had seen Seonghwa smack him as well as Hongjoong earlier.
Wooyoung tuned out the rest of the conversation between his own hyungs and Chan’s, focusing on how he was going to get out of this situation. The next thing he knew Hongjoong was getting in the driver’s seat and Seonghwa was getting into the passenger seat. Wooyoung looked longingly out the window, wishing he could be anywhere but in the car. He did witness one of Chan’s hyungs giving Chan a smack as he got into their car, making Wooyoung feel the tiniest bit better. He wasn’t happy his friend was getting punished, but it felt good not to be alone in having consequences.
“Jung Wooyoung, this picking you up from a police station better end here,” Seonghwa scolded. “Once was enough, but now you make us do it a second time! I can’t believe you. Breaking into a school to throw a party with your friends and classmates. How stupid could you get? How did none of you realize that the school would have security? You are so lucky the principal decided to not press any charges. You will accept whatever punishment your school decides without complaint. Is that understood?”
“Yes, hyung,” Wooyoung replied, knowing that there was no other acceptable answer he could give.
“Have we been too easy on you, Wooyoung? Is that why you think you can do whatever you want? Because if that is the case, noted. We won’t be making that mistake again,” Seonghwa continued his scolding.
“N–no, hyung! That’s not–” Wooyoung tried to protest.
“Shush,” Hongjoong scolded. “You will sit and listen quietly while your hyung scolds you.”
Wooyoung hung his head and obediently listened for the rest of the ride back to their pack apartment as Seonghwa scolded him. Hongjoong added some comments here and there, but it was mostly Seonghwa who was on a roll. Wooyoung was incredibly relieved by the time they finally parked in the garage below the pack apartment. He couldn’t wait to get out of the car, even if that meant getting closer to his inevitable spanking.
“Go upstairs and wait in the living room corner for us,” Hongjoong ordered, pointing above him as if Wooyoung was unaware of the direction of their apartment. “Seonghwa and I have a couple things to discuss before we head up.”
Wooyoung quickly did as he was told, more than happy to get away from his two angry hyungs. He didn’t know what he expected, but it was certainly not to walk into the living room and find all of his other packmates.
“Way to go hyung,” Jongho, the youngest pack member, said with a mocking round of applause. “I have never seen Seonghwa hyung and Hongjoong hyung that pissed before.”
“Shut up, Jongho,” Wooyoung spat back.
“He’s not wrong,” Mingi added. “I thought Hongjoong hyung was ready to spit fire when he got off that phone call with you.”
“You guys are not helping,” Yunho cut in. “Things will be fine, Wooyoung-ah.”
“I seriously doubt that,” Wooyoung grumbled as he begrudgingly made his way to the corner.
Several of the others winced in sympathy. It wasn’t often that they were instructed to stand in a corner, but when they were you knew things were serious.
“Yeah, your ass is toast,” San said, walking over and clapping a hand on Wooyoung’s shoulder. “And not in the fun way.”
“You confuse me greatly,” Yunho said, shaking his head at San in bewilderment.
“He’s just too horny for his own good,” Yeosang supplied with a shrug.
“No one has complained about my horniness so far,” San replied, walking away from Wooyoung and taking a seat on the couch.
“I don’t even want to know,” Hongjoong said as he walked into the room with Seonghwa trailing behind him.
“Hyung, do I really need to stay in the corner?” Wooyoung whined, turning around to give his hyung his best pleading look.
“Wooyoung-ah, you know there is no talking, whining, or complaining in the corner,” Hongjoong scolded, gesturing with his hand for Wooyoung to turn back around and place his nose right back where it was.
“This is stupid,” Wooyoung grumbled, turning himself back around but crossing his arms over his chest.
SMACK
“Ah! Hyung!” Wooyoung cried out, reaching back to rub his backside.
“Keep complaining Wooyoung and you will find out what the consequences are,” Hongjoong warned.
Wooyoung groaned and let his head fall against the corner in front of him, but remained quiet. He was smart enough to realize that any further complaints would probably lead to even more time spent in the corner.
“What did he do?” Wooyoung heard Yunho ask from somewhere behind him. “All we know is you were heading to the police station.”
“He and several of the kids in his school decided fun Friday evening plans were breaking into the school pool and throwing a party,” Seonghwa explained with sigh, collapsing on the coach and pinching the bridge of his nose to ward off an oncoming headache. “They set alarms off and the police showed up.”
“I can’t believe you go to a school bougie enough to have a pool,” Mingi complained.
“I don’t think that’s the takeaway from what hyung just said,” Jongho pointed out. “Although, I agree that Wooyoung hyung does go to the nicest school out of all of us.”
All six of the younger pack members went to different schools. It was the nature of them all ending up at the home for troubled and runaways teens under different circumstances. Some of them had previous schools they could attend that were close enough, while others had to transfer to new schools in the area that were actively accepting students. It made things more complicated for Seonghwa and Hongjoong to keep up with, but they did their best and Hongjoong’s family pack were willing to step in if ever there was a need.
“Jongho’s right, that was zero percent the takeaway,” Seonghwa replied with an eye roll.
“The takeaway was don’t sneak into the school pool to throw a party, but none of the rest of us have school pools so the lesson is kind of pointless,” San summarized with a shrug.
“I think the lesson was don’t trespass on any property,” Yunho pointed out. “Or do anything that will get you arrested.”
“Okay, smartass,” San replied, sticking his tongue out at Yunho.
“But what if we don’t realize it’s trespassing?” Yeosang asked, raising an eyebrow in question.
“I will take that into consideration,” Hongjoong replied, patting Yeosang on the shoulder and moving to sit down with Seonghwa on the couch.
“Are you still certain you want a big pack?” Seonghwa joked, planting a kiss on top of Hongjoong’s head.
“Ask me again tomorrow,” Hongjoong grumbled in reply.
– – – – –
Wooyoung was ready to repeatedly smash his head into the corner if only it would finally get him out of said corner. He had no idea how long he had been standing there–since, you know…no clocks or ways to tell time in the corner. Just two plain white walls and a line where they met.
The room had gone completely quiet since Hongjoong and Seonghwa had sent the other boys off to bed. He had no idea what his two hyungs were up to, but he could sense that they were still in the room. He could hear the rustling of the couch every once in a while.
He was going to go insane.
“It’s only been five minutes, Wooyoung,” Hongjoong said, clearly sensing the boy’s restlessness. “But fine, come out and sit with us so we can discuss your decisions this evening.”
Wooyoung groaned, but obeyed and turned around to face his two hyungs. He froze at the site of what was sitting next to Hongjoong: the infamous hairbrush. It was rare for either one of them to pull it out, but you knew you were done for when they did.
“NO! Hyung!” Wooyoung complained, shaking his head and keeping his distance.
“What do you mean ‘no’, Wooyoung-ah?” Hongjoong asked, crossing his arms over his chest and giving Wooyoung a very displeased look.
“You are not using that hairbrush on me!” Wooyoung protested. “I won’t let you!”
“You won’t let me? Wooyoung-ah, since when is your punishment up to you? You know what rules are involved with being in this pack. You knew exactly what rules you were breaking this evening, and what those consequences would be when you did so,” Hongjoong replied, clearly reaching the end of his patience.
“I never should have let you become my pack leader! I didn’t realize it was going to be the two of you ‘playing parent’ and basking in your power trips!” Wooyoung shouted. “I can’t believe the two of you call yourselves my hyungs! You’re both the worst! You especially Seonghwa, for not standing up against his tyranny!”
And well…shit. He didn’t actually mean anything he was saying. He just really didn’t want Hongjoong to use the hairbrush on him and the words were flowing out without any sort of filter.
The entire room had gone still–Mingi, Jongho, Yunho, Yeosang, and San were now standing at the entry to the living room from the hallway, watching in shock.
Wooyoung felt sick.
He turned on his heel and sprinted out of the apartment, hearing the other pack members calling his name but he ignored them, forgoing his shoes and launching himself out into the hallway. He knew he didn’t have time to wait for the elevator, so he started down the steps, which when he thought rationally was quite stupid. They lived on the tenth floor, so of course when he made it to the bottom Mingi and Yunho were waiting for him, having taken the elevator themselves. Wooyoung tried to dodge past them, but they had both height and muscle on him and it was useless. He was trapped. Mingi grabbed one arm and Yunho grabbed the other, and they proceeded to frogmarch him onto the elevator and back up to the apartment, where everyone else was waiting. They all clearly knew Mingi and Yunho would be enough to get him back with no problems.
What Wooyoung did not expect was to be taken to the side of the couch, bent over the arm of the couch, and then for Yunho to start smacking the crap out of his backside. Wooyoung squirmed and yelled out protests and pleas, but Mingi now had a hold on both of Wooyoung’s arms, so he could neither get himself up nor move his hand to block Yunho’s hits. After what felt like a million hits, Wooyoung practically deflated into the couch and let the wracking sobs take over his body. Yunho finally stopped, and Mingi pulled him so he was standing. He was sure he looked like a pathetic mess.
Hongjoong walked up to Wooyoung, put his hand under his chin, and forced Wooyoung to look up at him.
“Are you done throwing your temper tantrum?” Hongjoong asked.
“Yes, hyung,” Wooyoung choked out.
“And we can have a rational and calm conversation about this now?” Hongjoong asked.
“Yes, hyung.”
“Let him go,” Hongjoong instructed Mingi, who did as he was told.
Hongjoong pointed to the spot on the other couch right next to Seonghwa. Wooyoung scurried to obey, hissing as he sat down and weight was placed on his sore backside. Damn, Yunho had an unexpectedly hard hand.
Seonghwa rubbed Wooyoung’s back to provide him with some comfort, making Wooyoung feel even worse. He had been so rude to his hyungs, and yet Seonghwa still cared enough to make Wooyoung feel better.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean anything I was saying! I just–the brush was there and I panicked, and then I got mad at myself for being stupid enough to earn it in the first place, but I took it out on you guys,” Wooyoung started rambling, trying to get his apology out as fast as possible. “The things I said were so not true. I j–just, I freaked out. I love you both. I appreciate you both. I love and appreciate all of you. I–”
“Wooyoung-ah, breathe,” Hongjoong instructed, crouching in front of where Wooyoung was seated. “We know you didn’t mean it. We need to work on that filter of yours when you are feeling cornered, but we know you Wooyoung.”
“I feel terrible,” Wooyoung confessed. “I’m so sorry.”
“Do you want to be here?” Seonghwa asked. “Do you still want to be a part of this pack, and I mean really being part of this pack, rules and all?”
“Yes, a thousand percent yes,” Wooyoung replied earnestly, practically pleading with his hyungs to understand his honesty.
“That’s all that matters,” Seonghwa replied. “You will be punished for your actions this evening, you will be forgiven, and then we will move on as always.”
“I don’t deserve you all,” Wooyoung replied.
“Nonsense,” Hongjoong replied, standing up and sitting down on the other side of Wooyoung. “We love you, Wooyoung-ah. You are right where you are meant to be.”
A box of tissues was suddenly in front of Wooyoung’s face, and he lifted his head to see that Yeosang was handing it to him. Wooyoung thanked him and grabbed the whole box, knowing more than one was going to be needed.
“Now it should go without saying that this better be the last time that we receive a call from the police station to come pick you up,” Hongjoong began, getting a nod of agreement from Wooyoung. “You’re overall doing really well Wooyoung, and we are incredibly proud of you. I hope you don’t ever forget that. This was just a small hiccup, and you will be punished and we will move past it.”
“H–how long am I grounded for?” Wooyoung asked, bracing himself for the high number he was about to hear.
“How long were you grounded after the spray paint incident?” Seonghwa asked, although Wooyoung knew he already knew the answer.
“Three weeks,” Wooyoung replied, dreading the words that he knew were going to come next.
“And what did we tell you would happen if we had to come pick you up from a police station again?” Seonghwa asked.
“Y–you said that you would double the length of my grounding and that you would make my punishment that time feel like a gentle reprimand in comparison,” Wooyoung obediently answered, although he truly wished he could lie.
“So that makes a nice even six weeks of grounding,” Hongjoong summarized. “You will also take whatever punishment your school gives you on Monday without complaint. I was planning on taking the hairbrush to your backside, but after your attitude and your attempt to run away from the consequences, I think 10 with my belt is better suited.”
“And you and I will be meeting tomorrow night for a quick refresher on the lessons you should be learning,” Seonghwa added.
Wooyoung groaned, letting his head fall into his hands in defeat. He knew Seonghwa’s favorite implement was a nice sturdy ruler, and it went without saying that he would be experiencing that the following evening.
“Any complaints?” Hongjoong asked, raising a brow in question.
Yes. Wooyoung had a million and one complaints…but he knew at the end of the day it was deserved. He had acted like an idiot and an ass to his hyungs, and well…as much as it sucks, he knew they did it because they love him and they want to provide him with structure and boundaries–something his life had been severely lacking.
“No, hyung,” Wooyoung replied. “Let’s get this over with.”
Hongjoong once again sent the rest of the members off to bed. He knew it would upset Wooyoung if they witnessed his punishment, and that wasn’t his intention. That would do nothing to make him learn his lesson. Seonghwa walked off last, patting Wooyoung on the shoulder for reassurance before disappearing as well.
“Over the back of the couch please,” Hongjoong instructed, and Wooyoung scurried to obey. He was done with getting into any more trouble this evening. “No need to count. I’m not going to lecture. I just want you to think about your actions this evening and how you are going to change them moving forward. Understood?”
“Yes, hyung.”
“Good.”
And as the belt landed for this first time on his backside, Wooyoung would argue that there was nothing ‘good’ about this situation. He breathed in sharply, unable to control the hiss that came out of his mouth in reply. By the fourth strike he was openly crying. By the seventh he would consider it sobbing. Finally, Hongjoong landed the last stripe across his rear and tossed the belt behind him in favor of pulling the sobbing boy up into his arms. Wooyoung was offering any and all nonsensical apologies over and over again, and Hongjoong was shushing him and running his hands through his hair in comfort. It had been a harsh lesson, and now Hongjoong was going to do everything in his power to make sure his precious dongsaeng was okay.
Seonghwa, who had clearly not actually gone all the way to his room, joined them only moments after the punishment ended. It wasn’t long before they were all cuddled together on the couch, Wooyoung practically laying on top of his two hyungs. Wooyoung’s tears had finally subsided and he had gone quiet.
“What’s going on in your head?” Seonghwa asked, planting a kiss on top of the boy’s forehead.
“I was just thinking about how lucky I was to have been placed in the home that I was,” Wooyoung explained. “I may mess up, but I have the best pack leaders to guide me now. I’ve never felt this safe and loved before, hyungs. The officers could have taken me to a number of homes, but they didn’t. They took me to all of you.”
“Wow, someone turned the sappy button on,” Hongjoong joked, but then turned serious just as quickly. “Wooyoung-ah, I hope you know we are as thrilled that you walked into your lives as you are that we came into yours.”
“You really complete us,” Seonghwa agreed.
“Like your missing puzzle piece?” Wooyoung joked.
“Like a very vibrant, loud, and beautiful puzzle piece.” Hongjoong laughed, tucking a strand of Wooyoung’s hair behind his ear. “And we wouldn’t have it any other way.”